


Panglossian

by sirius123



Series: Final Fantasy XIV Writing Challenge 2020 [17]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Naive little girl, Origin Story, Tumblr: FFXIVwrite2020, mugged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26542900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirius123/pseuds/sirius123
Summary: Iiro Iiro was eager to begin her adventures and follow her dreams, but bad luck caught up to her. She decides to never let anyone take advantage of her again.Prompt #18 for FFXIV Write 2020!
Series: Final Fantasy XIV Writing Challenge 2020 [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907170
Kudos: 1





	Panglossian

**Author's Note:**

> Iiro belongs to my friend. She seemed perfect for this prompt!

To say Iiro wasn’t nervous would be a lie. She watched at the ivory spires of Limsa Lominsa came into view and her heart soared with excitement even as her stomach jumped with nervousness. This was the first time she had ever been away from home, after all! She wondered if her mother and father were worried about her, but she would be fine! She had done all her research, and she was ready! She’d become a great adventurer, know throughout the realm! Hells, maybe she’d even become more famous than the Warriors of Light! She found the nervousness being shoved down by the wave of giddy excitement that filled her.

She was quick to rush down the gangplank the minute she had a chance, looking around, her eyes sparkling. She lifted her arms, taking in the warm sun and the salty air, smiling ear to ear. Limsa Lominsa was rebuilding quickly, considering the Calamity was not that long ago. People were bustling about their days, laughter filled the air. There was a hopeful sort of energy in the air, and it was infectious. 

“I’m here, M’aja,” she whispered, looking around. “I’m going to make you proud. Just you watch.” She took a moment of silence to remember her friend before shaking her head and rushing into the crowd. After a few minutes of walking, she realized she was quite lost. There were so many people! And so many decks and levels and... What was she going to do? She couldn’t even figure out where the Aetheryte was, and she remembered that was the first thing she had to do when she entered a new place.

She must have looked very lost because she was soon discovered by a slightly older Hyur man. He stepped in front of her, stopping her slow trek down the road. He smiled pleasantly at her, raising a hand in greeting.

“Ho! Hello there, miss. You look lost. Can I help you find something?” He asked her, and Iiro fidgeted shyly, looking away.

“Oh! Uh, yeah. I’m lost! I want to become an adventurer, but I’ve never been to Limsa so I don’t know where anything is!” she laughed nervously and the man nodded in understanding.

“Oh, yes! Limsa is a winding maze when you first get her. Have no worries, I’m more than happy to help you! I’m a bit of an adventurer myself, you see!” He winked at her. “Now, follow me, and be sure not to lose me, alright?” She nodded. Goodness, what a nice man! Her journey was off to a great start! She followed him carefully. He easily navigated the crowd and led her to the Aetheryte, even helpfully telling her how to attune to it. 

He then led her to the Adventurer’s Guild where she met a gruff but nice man named Baderon. He was more than happy to help her register with the Adventurers Guild and show her all the points of interest on a map of Limsa Lominsa. He looked over at her new friend curiously, and looked back at Iiro, his cheerful tone dropping to a wary grumble.

“Well, that’s everything you need. You be careful out there, miss. We’ve been havin’ some kidnappings recently, and a pretty girl like you would be a prime target.” Iiro blushed but smiled confidently at him.

“Don’t worry! I’ll be just fine! I’m going to be a great adventurer!” she bragged, and though Baderon seemed hesitant, he nodded, shooting a look to her friend. She skipped away, giddy with excitement that she was now officially an adventurer when the man approached her.

“There we go! Welcome to the Guild, miss,” he said pleasantly. “What are you going to do now?” Iiro paused and thought, tapping her finger against her chin as she looked up to at the ceiling.

“Hm, I think I’ll go find some jobs and get my career into motion!” She said, and the man nodded. 

“Well, if you’re going to do that...” he said, and she looked at him curiously, tilting her head. “Why don’t you join me and my crew? We could use an extra hand, and we’d be happy to help you out.” Iiro’s eyes practically sparkled. They wanted her in their party? That was great! She heard it could be hard to find people to party with as a new adventurer, and she had already found a party! She nodded excitedly.

“Yes! Yes, that’d be great! My name is Iiro Iro, by the way! A name to put on the papers, right?” She couldn’t hide her excitement, and the man smiled.

“My name is Murphy. Nice to meet you, Iiro!” he said. “Well, let me tell my party and get the paperwork in order. Why don’t you meet me in say, four bells...” He looked at her map in her hand and pointed to a small dock on the Lower Decks. It was a little out of the way, somewhere near the Fisher’s Guild, but she could probably find her way there with little trouble. “Right around here? We’ll figure out what to do then and you can get ready for the job we pick.”

“Alright!” Iiro folded the map and tucked it into her pocket. “I’ll see you in a little bit, Murphy!” He nodded and walked off. Iiro dug into her pack and pulled out her gil purse. She had saved up for this very moment! Quickly calculating what she needed, she rushed off to the Upper Decks. She took a moment to stop by the Arcanist Guild to get herself registered and then proceeded to the markets. She bought herself a shiny new book, some fancy new armor, and a handful of potions. She still had enough for a warm meal and was happily munching on a sandwich when the time came to meet her new party.

It was dark now, the sun having set about a bell ago. People had found themselves home, and the city was much quieter than it had been earlier. She found herself on a quiet, barely lit deck. It was a little eerie, just hearing the sound of the waves brushing against the pillars of the deck. She looked around. She couldn’t see Murphy or anyone else! Where was everyone? Was she too early?

Just as she thought this, something smashed against the back of her head and she staggered, her vision going white for a brief moment as she fell to her knees. She blinked, turning her head to see what had hit her, completely surprised to see Murphy standing behind her with a small group of men and woman, dangerous smiles on their faces as they began to crowd around her.

“Murphy?” She questioned, her voice shaking, her head spinning. “Why’d you hit me?”

“I can’t believe she actually came,” the Roegadyn woman to his right sneered. Murphy snickered, crossing his arms.

“Told ya she was stupid,” he said, leaning over Iiro. She looked up at him, confusion all over her face.

“W-what’s going on?” She asked. “Weren’t we going to party together...?” The group behind him laughed, a few insults being thrown in her direction that she couldn’t hear, her ears ringing from the blow to her head.

“Party together? Gods, you are stupid,” he said crouching down and reaching out. He gripped her long hair in his fist and she whimpered, tears coming to her eyes as fear filled her. He was going to hurt her! “We ain’t adventurers, luv. We’re pirates, and you? You were an easy target.” He reached out and forcibly pulled her pack from her. She let out a cry and reached for it, struggling in his grasp, but he shoved her away. When she fell on her back, he held her down with his foot, and she gasped for breath as she struggled under the pressure. He opened her pack and made a face.

“Psh. Not what I thought there’d be,” he grumbled, throwing the pack to another Hyur, who caught it. “Well, that’s fine. Those robes and that book look rather nice. We’ll be taking those.” Iiro’s face paled and she flailed.

“N-no! Please! That’s all I have,” she sobbed, fear filling her as he reached down and tore off the clasp of her robe. She struggled valiantly but was only rewarded only with a few blows to her face and body as his party joined it, forcibly taking everything she had, leaving her only in her small clothes.

“Careful, boys,” Murphy said. “Don’t hit the face too much. She won’t sell for as much if you bruise her up too much.” Iiro let out a sob, her chest aching. She had definitely broken something, and her limbs went limp as he stomped his boot into her midsection, knocking the air from her. Her vision blurred, but she was vaguely aware of the Roegadyn woman pulling out a coil of rope, preparing to tie her up. Was this how she died? Was she going to be killed on her first day of adventuring? 

Her vision began to turn white around the edges as she felt the rope being tied around her wrists, cutting into bare skin, her ankles following. She tried to struggle one more time but was struck on the head once more. Her vision darkened, and though she tried to stay conscious, she found she couldn’t.

She mentally said goodbye to her mother and father, apologizing to M’aja as darkness finally overtook her.

She awoke later in a warm bed, her wounds treated and her body sore. She looked around, confused. The sun poured in through a small window to her left, and on a table near here was a small meal of stew and bread, still steaming and warm. She blinked, sitting up and whimpering as her chest protested. The door opened and she flinched, covering her head as a Miqo’te woman dressed in green walked in.

“Oh! You’re awake!” she said, walking up to Iiro. She was holding some more medical supplies and walked up to Iiro’s bed, placing them on the small nightstand. Iiro looked up at her, shaking, and the woman blinked. “Oh! Oh, no, don’t worry, you’re safe now. You took quite a beating. It’s a good thing Jacke heard you screaming or else you woulda been taken away by those wanna-be pirates.” She rinsed a cloth in a bowl of water and slowly reached out to dab at Iiro’s face. The Lalafell flinched and the woman recoiled.

“W-what happened...?” Iiro whimpered, and the woman tilted her head.

“You were mugged, and almost taken away to be sold. Those guys were pretty bad though. I can’t believe they tried to do that in front of the Guild. Here, let me clean your wounds.” Iiro was nervous but nodded as the Miqo’te continued talking, changing her bandages carefully. “Name’s V’kebbe, by the way. You’re safe in the Guild. Jacke was quick to make sure those idiots were punished for breaking the code.” Iiro stared up at her, confused, and V’kebbe sighed. “You’re probably still tired. I’ll tell the Guildmaster you’re awake. He wanted to talk to you. Then you can go back to sleep, okay?” She motioned to the table as she stood to leave. “You try to eat. I won’t be long.”

Iiro watched her go and walked carefully over to the table, sitting on the seat and looking at the stew. It was a simple meat stew, and she didn’t realize how hungry she was until the smell hit her nose. She quickly dug into the food, ripping a piece of bread with her teeth when the situation hit her. She had nothing. She was nearly taken away. Tears filled her eyes and she let out a choked sob, still shoveling food into her mouth as she cried. What was she going to do? She had no gil, nothing. They took everything. She only had the too-large clothes they had dressed her in, and no weapons. She couldn’t become an adventurer like this, and she couldn’t get home without gil...

“Yer awake,” a gruff voice said at the door, and Iiro looked up. A young man sauntered in, V’kebbe close behind him. “Good. Knew you’d wake up, but still, ye’ve been asleep fer two days. How ar’ ye feeling?” He looked over her and winced, noticing the snot and tears that dirtied her face. “Ah. Bad question. Sorry.”

“W-what do I do?” Iiro sobbed, dropping her half-finished bread and covering her face. “I don’t have anything. I don’t have any gil, or clothes or even a way to defend myself! W-what am I supposed to do now...?” The man watched her, arms crossed as he watched her cry for a moment.

“Ye could give up,” he suggested, and she looked up at him, shocked, eyes puffy and nose running. She shook her head fervently.

“No! No, I can’t! I have to become an adventurer, no matter what!” She sobbed. “I made promises. I have to! I have to!” The man watched her for a moment more and uncrossed his arms, walking up and kneeling next to her.

“Ye still want to fight?” he asked, and she nodded, rubbing her eyes as she tried desperately to dry her tears. “Ye want ta make a difference?” She nodded again and he huffed, smiling slightly and standing.

“Good. We can’t ‘elp ye with much, but we can help with that.” she looked up at him, confused. “Name’s Jacke. I’m the Guildmaster of the Rogue’s Guild- th’ very building yer in right now.” He made a sweeping motion to the room around them. “Ye wanna fight? We can ‘elp with that. Give you a pair of stabbers. Teach ye to protect yerself.”

“W-what?” she asked, eyes wide. Jacke sighed.

“I’m tellin’ ye to join our guild,” he told her. “We’ll help you, Give ye weapons, teach ye how to defend yerself. So long as ye want.” She sniffed, and he looked over her meal. “Ye don’t ‘ave to make a decision now, ye can rest-” Iiro blew her nose loudly before jumping up in her seat. Her body screamed at her, but she ignored it, staring at him, determination in her watery eyes.

“No. No! I’ll join. I have nothing else,” she said, her voice shaky. “Teach me how to fight! I want to defend myself! I won’t let anyone do this to me again!” Jacke grinned, crossing his arms.

“Alright. V’kebbe? Get this girl a pair of stabbers. We start lessons the second ye heal.”


End file.
